Peak Day Water Demand Management Study

This study describes an innovative load shifting experiment carried out during the summer of 2016 by New Jersey American Water, Rachio, and WaterDM. The Peak Day Water Demand Management Study explores the viability of using remotely-controlled irrigation systems to reduce peak water demands.

Download the study here

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Smart Solutions for Water: How Remote Irrigation Control Can Tackle Peak Demand

Water utilities face a significant challenge: providing enough water to meet the highest daily demands, often driven by widespread outdoor irrigation during summer peaks. This usually means investing in costly infrastructure expansion, leading to higher rates for all customers. But what if there was a smarter, more cost-effective way to manage these peaks? A 2017 study, the “Peak Day Water Demand Management Study,” explored just that, drawing inspiration from how electric utilities manage their peak loads.

The Peak Problem and a Smart Solution

For years, electric utilities have successfully implemented demand-response programmes by remotely controlling energy-intensive appliances during peak times, offering customers incentives in return. The “Peak Day Water Demand Management Study” aimed to see if water providers could apply a similar approach using remotely controlled irrigation systems. If successful, this could delay or even avoid the need for expensive expansions to water treatment infrastructure, offering significant cost savings.

The study, conducted in 2016 by WaterDM for Western Resource Advocates, partnered with New Jersey American Water (NJAW) and Rachio, a smart irrigation control company. Rachio’s web-enabled, WaterSense-approved controllers can be programmed remotely, offering utilities the ability to simultaneously control many irrigation systems across their service area.

The Pilot: Testing Remote Control in Action

The research team selected the Rumson area in New Jersey for a pilot project, choosing it for its high outdoor water use and ease of implementation. Rachio smart irrigation controllers were installed at no cost for 15 participating residential customers.

Two “peak shaving” experiments were conducted in August 2016, selected during hot, dry periods when irrigation would typically occur. Participants were notified by email two days prior and asked not to manually override their controllers. On the designated days, Rachio electronically instructed the controllers to cease irrigation for a 24-hour period.

The results were promising:

• 14 out of 15 sites (93.3%) successfully halted irrigation during both experiments.
• Irrigation schedules resumed normally the following day.
• Analysis of billing records estimated a total of 84 kgal of peak demand reduction occurred on each day of interruption across the 15 participants.

Scaling Up: Significant Potential for Savings

The study extrapolated these pilot results to estimate the potential for larger-scale peak reduction:

• An estimated 500 to 1,700 participants could achieve a 1 million gallons per day (MGD) reduction.
• For a 5 MGD reduction, approximately 2,500 to 8,600 participants would be needed.
• A substantial 10 MGD reduction could be achieved with roughly 5,000 to 17,300 participants.

This demonstrates that even modest customer participation could have a meaningful impact on utility planning by reducing infrastructure costs.

Lessons Learned: Challenges and Future Improvements

While the remote interruption technology proved viable, the study highlighted some key challenges:

• Recruitment was more difficult than anticipated, with only 15 out of a hoped-for 30+ participants joining, even with incentives.
• Some customers expressed distress over increased water bills (due to the controller compensating for a dry August) and issues with “brown spots” on lawns, though the lawns generally recovered.

To move forward, the study recommends:

• More efficient and effective recruitment methods, including clearer communication and education about the controllers.
• Improved weather monitoring and daily consumption dashboards to provide customers with better feedback on their irrigation and its bill impact.
• Developing more sophisticated load shifting approaches to orchestrate urban irrigation to match water production profiles, rather than simply shutting off systems for a day.
• The potential to use this technology for remote shutdown during emergencies, such as water main breaks or major fires.

This pilot marks a crucial step towards a more advanced approach to water demand management in urban systems, showing that with smart technology and strategic implementation, water utilities can better manage their resources and build a more resilient future.